Vehicle Crossmember and Floor Structure

This application claims the benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/569,997, filed on Mar. 26, 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle beams and structures, and more specifically to vehicle crossmembers and related floor structures, assemblies, sub-assemblies, and the like.

It is generally understood that vehicle frames and body structures are designed undergo and absorb certain levels of impact forces, such as to prevent distances of inboard intrusion into the vehicle in accordance with insurance requirements and other regulatory and legal requirements. Battery storage in electric and hybrid electric vehicles make it more desirable to reduce side impact intrusion distance in order to maximize available battery storage volume, such as in the battery trays below the vehicle floor. Side impacts to a vehicle are commonly tested with side pole impact testing, which direct significant side impact forces to the vehicle. Vehicle frames primarily absorb these side impacts at the rocker sections that run longitudinally along the lower outboard portions of the vehicle frame.

This disclosure provides a vehicle structural beam with an elongated hollow body that has a cross-sectional shape extending continuously along the length of the tubular beam. The cross-sectional shape is designed to carry impact forces delivered to the vehicle along longitudinal load paths, such as side impact forces carried by a crossmember for a vehicle floor assembly or vehicle battery tray. The crossmember beam is roll formed from a metal sheet to define a first hollow section and a second hollow section extending adjacent to each other and divided by a narrowed section along the length of the beam. At the narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape, the upper wall and the lower wall of the beam are attached or in closer proximity relative to the first and second hollow sections. To enclose the hollow body, the edges of the metal sheet are welded together along the length of the beam at a narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape. The weld at the narrowed section stabilizes the cross-sectional shape, which is otherwise formed from the metal sheet devoid of additional edge welds.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a crossmember for a vehicle floor structure includes a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheet. The beam is configured to span laterally over a floor panel with opposing ends of the beam coupled to longitudinal members that extend along sides of the floor panel. The beam includes a cross-sectional shape taken transverse to a length of the beam and extending consistently along the length between the opposing ends of the beam. The beam has a first hollow section and a second hollow section extending along the length of the beam, where the first and second hollow sections are interconnected by a narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape. Edges of the metal sheet are welded together along the length of the beam at the narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape.

In some implementations, the beam includes an upper wall and a lower wall extending along opposing sides of the first and second hollow sections. The upper and lower walls may each include at least two bends along the length of the beam that direct the respective upper and lower walls inward at the narrowed section. The edges of the metal sheet may be attached at the upper wall of the beam. In other examples, the edges of the metal sheet are attached at the lower wall of the beam. The upper wall and the lower wall, in some examples, are attached at the narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape. A weld may attach the edges of the metal sheet together and simultaneously attach the upper and lower walls together. In other examples, the upper wall and the lower wall are spaced apart at the narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape.

In some examples, the first hollow section and/or the second hollow section may include a stiffening channel disposed along the length of the beam. The first and second hollow sections of the beam may, in some examples, be substantially mirror images across the narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape. In some examples, a planar extent of the upper wall at the first and second hollow sections is angled relative to a planar extent of the lower wall at first and second hollow sections.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle floor assembly includes a floor panel and a crossmember beam disposed at and extending over an upper surface of the floor panel. The crossmember beam comprises an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheet and defining a cross-sectional shape that extends continuously along a linear length of the crossmember beam. The crossmember beam includes a first hollow section and a second hollow section extending adjacent to each other along the length of the beam. The first and second hollow sections are interconnected by a narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape. Edges of the metal sheet are welded together along the length of the beam at the narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape.

The vehicle floor assembly, in some examples, includes a pair of rocker sections extending longitudinally along outboard edges of the floor panel. The crossmember beam may extend laterally across the vehicle floor between the pair of rocker sections, such that the crossmember beam may define a lateral load path between the pair of rocker sections.

In some examples, the vehicle floor assembly includes a second crossmember attached and spanning between the pair of rocker members at a longitudinally spaced distance from the first crossmember. The vehicle floor assembly may also include a seat assembly coupled at and supported by the crossmembers.

In some examples, the metal sheet of the crossmember beam comprises a martensitic steel with a tensile strength of at least 980 MPa, or more preferably at least 1,500 MPa.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a crossmember for a vehicle floor structure includes a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheet and configured to span laterally over a floor panel. The beam includes a cross-sectional shape taken transverse to a length of the beam and extending consistently along the length between the opposing ends of the beam. The beam has a first hollow section and a second hollow section extending along the length of the beam, where the first and second hollow sections are interconnected by a narrowed section of the cross-sectional shape. The edges of the metal sheet are welded together at a seam extending along the length of the beam. The seam has an induction weld formed continuously between the edges of the metal sheet to align the inner and outer surfaces of the metal sheet on opposing sides of the seam. In some examples, the edges of the metal sheet are attached and form the seam at the upper wall, the lower wall, or a side wall of the beam that extends between the upper and lower walls.

Each of the above independent aspects of the present disclosure, and those aspects described in the detailed description below, may include any of the features, options, and possibilities set out in the present disclosure and figures, including those under the other independent aspects, and may also include any combination of any of the features, options, and possibilities set out in the present disclosure and figures.

The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, advantages, purposes, and features will be apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative examples depicted therein, a floor assemblyfor a vehicle, such as shown in, has a floor paneland a pair of rocker sectionsdisposed longitudinally along sides of the floor panel. The floor assemblyor vehicle structure may also include stamped features formed in the floor panelbetween the longitudinal members or rocker sections. In additional examples, a central tunnel may protrude longitudinally along a center of the floor, such as for spanning over or partially housing vehicle drive train and exhaust system components of an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. It is also contemplated that the central tunnel may house or partially enclose wire harnesses, coolant lines, or electrical components, such as those related for an electric vehicle.

As shown in the example provided in, the vehiclemay include a battery traymounted generally inboard from outer sills of the rocker sectionsand below the floor panelof the floor assembly. The battery trayencloses a battery or batteries that are at least partially used to operate a propulsion system of the vehicle, such as a traction battery or battery modules or the like. The battery traymay be generally between the front and rear wheelsof the vehicleto distribute the battery weight and establish a low center of gravity for the vehicle. The vehicle for purposes of the disclosure may be any type of land motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, bus, van, sport utility vehicle, or the like, including those used for passenger travel, cargo shipping, or any other personal, governmental, or commercial purposes.

The floor assembly, such as shown in, includes at least one structural beam, such as shown as a crossmember. It is contemplated that in other examples, additional crossmembers may be provided between the rocker sections, with or without the crossmember attachment configuration and structure shown in. The crossmemberis disposed at and extends over an upper surface of the floor panel, such as shown spanning laterally across the top side of the vehicle floor panel. In additional examples, the crossmembermay be integrated into the battery trayas an internal crossmember thereof. The crossmemberincludes a tubular beam that has a cross-sectional shape extending continuously along the length of the tubular beam, such as shown inor in additional examples shown in.

As shown in, the crossmemberis coupled to and spans between the rocker sections, such as to define a lateral load path between the rocker sectionsfor transmitting side impact loads or forces laterally across the floor panel. By doing so, inboard deformation from side impacts is reduced, such as to prevent impact intrusion interference with the battery tray. The rocker sectionsare shown as exemplary configurations, which may be implemented as inner and outer sills, panels, or other longitudinal frame components or portions thereof. As shown in, the crossmembercouples with the rocker sections, such as to provide direct or indirect attachment, such as with the use of direct welding, adhesive, fasteners, and/or brackets or the like. For example, the crossmember may include a pair of mounting brackets that are attached between the opposing ends of the tubular beam and inboard surfaces of the rocker sections. Such mounting brackets may be formed or stamped with different shapes for configurations, such as to mount along sides or span over the crossmember.

As shown in, the crossmemberspans laterally in the vehicle and is disposed over the floor panelwith a bottom surface of the crossmembersupported on the upper surface of floor panel. The crossmemberis attached to the metal sheet of the floor panel, such as with welding, fasteners, adhesive, or the like. The weldingof the crossmemberto the floor panelincreases rigidity and bending strength of each other, such as to allow the crossmember to be formed with lighter and higher gauge metal sheet material. Also, the welding of the crossmember to the floor panel can provide a structural or support beam configured to mounting a seat assembly to the vehicle floor.

As shown in, the floor panelincludes a steel sheet with stamped stiffening features and mounting locators. The front area of the floor panelincludes foot wells located forward a front lateral ridgethat is used to mount front portions of the seat assemblies. The rear portions of seat assemblies are mounted at or near the crossmember, such that two square recessed areasare formed between the crossmemberand the front lateral ridgefor providing space for seat assembly components, wire harnesses, and air circulation below the respective seat assemblies. Also, a longitudinal ridgeis formed to extending between the front lateral ridgeand the crossmemberto provide additional longitudinal stiffness for supporting the seat assemblies. The metal sheet of the floor panel may be a martensitic steel, such as with a thickness of 2 mm and a tensile strength of at least 980 MPa, and in some examples the floor panel may be divided into sections or separate floor panels.

As shown in, the crossmemberis a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheet. The cross-sectional shape taken transverse to a length of the beam has a first hollow sectionand a second hollow sectionextending along the length of the beam. The first and second hollow sections,are interconnected by a narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. As shown in, edgesof the metal sheetare welded together along the length of the beam at the narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. In additional examples, the edges of the metal sheet are attached and form a weld seam at different locations, such as at any location on the upper wall (), the lower wall (), or a side wall () of the beam.

The crossmember beam, as shown in, includes an upper wall, a lower wall, a first side wall, and a second side wallthat enclose the hollow body of the beamalong the length. The upper and lower walls,extend along the top and bottom sides of the first and second hollow sections,. Similarly, the first side wallextends along the forward-facing side of the beam in the vehicle and the second side wallextends along the opposing rearward-facing side of the beam in the vehicle. Thus, the first side wallextends along and defines a lateral boundary of the first hollow sectionand the second side wallextends along and defines a lateral boundary of the second hollow section. In the example shown in, the planar extent of the upper wallis parallel to the planar extent of the lower wall. Also, the planar extent of the upper wallis horizontally aligned across the respective first and second hollow sections,. Similarly, the planar extent of the lower wallis horizontally aligned across the respective first and second hollow sections,. Further, the first and second side walls,are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the upper and lower walls,, together forming a generally rectangular exterior cross-sectional shape. It is understood that additional examples may have various differently shaped tubular sections or members, such as to accommodate desired mounting arrangements, such as for different seat assemblies, interior counsels, or the like.

A shown in, the upper and lower walls,each include four bendsthat are formed along the length of the beam, which form inward extending wall sectionsthat lead to a recessed wall section. The inward extending wall sectionsare vertically oriented and parallel to the first and second side walls,. The bendsdirect and position the upper and lower walls,inwards into the interior volume of the beam, so as to generally define the lateral boundaries of the narrowed section. More specifically, the narrowed section is defined by the bendsthat divert the upper and lower walls,inwards to form the inward extending wall sections. The bends, as shown in, are formed to center the recessed wallon the respective upper and lower walls,, such that the first and second hollow sections,are substantially mirror images across the narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. Moreover, as shown in, the inward extending wall sectionsare generally equal in length at the upper and lower walls to vertically center the recessed wallin the beam, such that upper and lower halves of the beam are a substantially mirror images across a vertical center of the cross-sectional shape.

As further shown in, the upper walland the lower wallare in abutting contact and attached together at the narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. A weld attaches the edgesof the metal sheettogether. The weld is continuous along the length of the beam. However, in some examples, it is contemplated that some welds may be intermittently disposed along the narrowed section. The edgesof the metal sheet, as shown in, are abutting and attached at and along the upper wallof the beam. The edgesof the metal sheetare welded together at a seam extending along the length of the beam, where the seam has a weld, such as an induction weld or high frequency weld, formed continuously between the tips of the edgesto align the inner and outer surfaces of the metal sheeton opposing sides of the seam. Such induction or high frequency welding can also improve processing speed and efficiency.

The in some examples, such as shown in, the weld at the edges of the metal sheetmay also simultaneously attach the upper and lower walls,together. Otherwise, the upper and lower walls may simply be disposed in abutting contact and optionally attached in a secondary process, such with laser or MIG welds intermittently along the length. The attached recessed wall sectionsof the upper and lower walls,are parallel to the planar extents of the upper and lower walls,at the first and second hollow sections,of the beam. As referred to herein, the meaning of abutting contact means substantially abutting contact, as it is understood that direct contact may not be provided or maintained precisely along the entire length due to manufacturing and material tolerances.

Upon assembly with the floor panel, the lower wallof the beam is welded to the metal sheet of the floor panel. In additional examples, the recessed wall at the narrowed section may engage a ridge or formation formed in the floor panel, such that the recessed wall may be welded to the ridge or formation in the floor panel. The weld to the floor panel may be formed with intermittent or continuous laser welding or gas metal arc welding or the like. In some examples, the vehicle floor assembly may include a second crossmember attached and spanning between the pair of rocker members at a longitudinally spaced distance from the other crossmember. For example, the front ridge may engage or be replaced with a crossmember. With the use of two crossmembers, the crossmembers may be used and configured to support front and rear mounting locations of a seat assembly.

Referring now to, additional examples of structural beams or crossmember are provided with different cross-sectional shape. Like reference numbers are provided at like features to those described above, incremented by one hundred for each example.

As shown in, the crossmemberis a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheetthat has a cross-sectional shape with the first hollow sectionhas a larger interior volume than the second hollow section. The planar extent of the lower wallis aligned across the respective first and second hollow sections,, and as shown in, is angled relative to the planar extent of the upper wall. Also, the planar extent of the upper wallis aligned across the respective first and second hollow sections,. The angled offset of the upper and lower walls,is approximately 15 degrees or approximately less than 45 degrees. The angled offset allows the bottom surface of the lower wallto be attached to an angled portion of the floor panel and/or the top surface of the upper wallto be attached to angled portion of a seat assembly.

As also shown in, the first side wallhas a weld that attaches the edgesof the metal sheettogether. The weld is continuous along the length of the beam. The edgesof the metal sheet, as shown in, are abutting and attached at and along the side wallof the beam. The edgesof the metal sheetare welded together at a seam extending along the length of the beam, where the seam has an induction weld formed continuously between the tips of the edgesto align the inner and outer surfaces of the metal sheeton opposing sides of the seam.

As further shown in, the first and second side walls,are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the upper wall, where the first side wallis longer than the second side walldue to the angled offset of the lower wallrelative to the upper wall, together forming a generally wedge-shaped exterior cross-sectional shape. The lower wallshown inalso has four bendsthat form a recessed wall sectionalong the length of the beam. The bendson the lower wallimmediately follow each other, so as to omit any vertically oriented inward extending wall sections there between.

As shown in, the crossmemberis a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheetthat has a cross-sectional shape with the first hollow sectionand the second hollow sectioneach including a stiffening channeldisposed along the length of the beam. The stiffening channelsare each formed in the side walls,and are vertically centered on each side wall. The stiffening channelsare substantially rounded and function to stiffen the corresponding side wall.

As also shown in, the weld that attaches the edgesof the metal sheettogether is formed along the upper wallat the second hollow section. The weld is continuous along the length of the beam. The edgesof the metal sheet, as shown in, are abutting and attached at and along the upper wallof the beam. The edgesof the metal sheetare welded together at a seam extending along the length of the beam, where the seam has an induction weld formed continuously between the tips of the edgesto align the inner and outer surfaces of the metal sheeton opposing sides of the seam.

As shown in, the crossmemberis a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheetthat has a cross-sectional shape with the first hollow sectionand the second hollow sectioneach including two stiffening channelsdisposed along the length of the beam. The stiffening channelsare formed in the upper and lower walls,and are horizontally centered on each of the first and second hollow sections,. The stiffening channelsare substantially rounded and function to stiffen the corresponding upper and lower walls.

As further shown in, the upper walland the lower wallare in abutting contact and attached together at the narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. The edgesof the metal sheet, as shown in, are abutting and attached at and along the lower wallof the beam. The weld attaches the edgesof the metal sheettogether and simultaneously attaches the upper and lower walls,together. The weld is continuous along the length of the beam. The attached recessed wall sectionsof the upper and lower walls,are parallel to the planar extents of the upper and lower walls,at the first and second hollow sections,of the beam.

As shown in, the crossmemberis a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheetthat has a cross-sectional shape with the first hollow sectionand the second hollow sectioneach including a stiffening channeldisposed along the length of the beam. The stiffening channelsare formed in the lower wallsand are horizontally centered on each of the first and second hollow sections,. The stiffening channelsare substantially rounded and function to stiffen the corresponding walls. The example of the crossmembershown inis substantially the same as that shown inwith the exception of the corners between the side walls,and the upper wallhaving a larger radius of curvature that reduces the interior volumes of the each of the hollow sections,of the beam.

As shown in, the crossmemberis a roll-formed beam having an elongated hollow body formed from a metal sheet. The first and second hollow sections,are interconnected by a narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. The upper and lower walls,each include four bendsthat are formed along the length of the beam. The inward extending wall sectionsthat lead to the abutting recessed wall sectionsare angled at approximately 45 degrees relative to the recessed wall section, such that cross-sectional shape forms a generally hourglass shape. The uppermost and lowermost bendsbetween the inward extending wall sectionsand the top and bottom horizontal sections of the upper and lower walls generally define the lateral boundaries of the narrowed section. More specifically, the narrowed section is defined by the bendsthat divert the upper and lower walls,inwards to form the inward extending wall sections. The bends, as shown in, are formed to center the recessed wallon the respective upper and lower walls,, such that the first and second hollow sections,are substantially mirror images across the narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. Moreover, as shown in, the inward extending wall sectionsare generally equal in length at the upper and lower walls to vertically center the recessed wallin the beam, such that upper and lower halves of the beam are a substantially mirror images across a vertical center of the cross-sectional shape.

As shown in, the crossmemberis substantially similar to the crossmembershown inwith the inward extending wall sectionsthat lead to the recessed wall sectionsbeing angled at approximately 45 degrees relative to the recessed wall sections. However, the recessed wall sectionshave a shorter length, such that the upper walland the lower wallare spaced apart at the narrowed sectionof the cross-sectional shape. While spaced apart, the recessed wall sectionare disposed in closer proximity than the upper-most and lower-most horizontal sections of the upper and lower walls,at the first and second hollow sections,of the beam. A weld attaches the edgesof the metal sheettogether at the upper wall, but does not attach the upper and lower walls,together. The recessed wall sectionsof the upper and lower walls,are parallel to each other and the planar extents of the upper and lower walls,at the first and second hollow sections,of the beam. Also, in additional examples, the butt weld joint along the edges of the sheet may be a lap weld joint configuration.

As shown in, the crossmemberis substantially similar to the crossmembershown in, but with the inward extending wall sectionsthat lead to the recessed wall sectionsbeing angled at a greater angle relative to the recessed wall sections, such as greater than 45 degrees or between 55 and 80 degrees or approximately 75 degrees. The recessed wall sectionsshown inare also spaced apart from each other a greater distance than the crossmembershown in. Further, the edgesof the metal sheet, as shown in, are abutting and attached at and along the lower wallof the beam.

As shown in, the crossmemberis substantially similar to the crossmembershown in, including the narrowed sectionand corresponding inward extending wall sectionsand recessed wall sections. However, the first and second side walls,of the crossmemberare rounded with a curvature that extends between the upper and lower walls,. The curved shape of the side walls,adds additional stiffness to the side walls. Also, the lower wallof the crossmemberincludes stiffening channels, namely a single stiffening channeldisposed at the first hollow sectionand the second hollow section. The stiffening channelsformed in the lower wallsare horizontally centered on each of the first and second hollow sections,. The stiffening channelsare each substantially rounded and function to stiffen the corresponding sections of the lower wall.

The crossmember may be made from a sheet of steel material having a thickness of 0.8 mm to 1.4 mm or approximately between 1 mm and 1.5 mm. Also, the sheet may have a tensile strength of about 800 to 2000 MPa (i.e. about 120 to 290 ksi), such as at least 980 MPa or at least 1,500 MPa. In additional implementations the reinforcement beam can be made of different materials, including AHSS (Advanced High Strength Steels) and it can be made from a sheet having a thickness of about 0.8 mm to 3.0 mm thick. Alternatively, the metal sheet may be a high strength aluminum sheet.

Also, the crossmembers may include mounting features at desirable locations for mounting a seat assembly or other vehicle components or sub-assemblies. The mounting features may include holes or attachment features (e.g., SPAC nuts, riv nuts, or the like) at selection locations on the top walls to provide similar attachment locations.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature; may be achieved with the two components and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components; and may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature, unless otherwise stated.

The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements in the preceding descriptions. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementations that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like, as used herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to denote element from another.

Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are “about” or “approximately” the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by implementations of the present disclosure. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of a stated amount.

Further, it should be understood that any directions or reference frames in the preceding description are merely relative directions or movements. For example, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “inboard,” “outboard” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the orientation shown in. However, it is to be understood that various alternative orientations may be provided, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in this specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law. The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.